Formication

Formication (Tactical Hallucinations) is the sensation of feeling insects crawling under and over the skin. It is a form of tactile hallucination. A tactile hallucination is a false sensory sensation and is a form of paresthesia. The individual feels the touch of an imaginary object. This sensory hallucination is an unpleasant, disturbing sensation. It feels as if bugs are crawling inside their body and trying to get out and all over their skin. The root cause can be dysregulation of the dopamine system. Once the drugs have been introduced into the body, they penetrate the Central Nervous System and stimulate it. They then bind to norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. Their activation of the sympathetic nervous system triggers a constant release of monoamines which bring neurological complications. 

The reason I'm sharing about this rare condition is that it's because it's become an unwelcomed part of our lives. Back in May of this year I was at home on my day off and doing some work on the iPad when I got this sudden feeling of something like an ant near my eye. So I wiped it away and went back to doing what I was doing. Then it happened again and again for about an hour. Then it stopped and a couple days later happened again. I then began staring at the mirror to see if I could see anything under my skin, and I saw nothing. I thought my skin might of some how got infested with bugs (scabies) I called the Dr and made an appointment. They had no idea what it was, so they tried me on steroids (To no avail) Several Drs and specialist have been able to do and find nothing.

So I began researching myself and came across this article. I then took this information to my Dr and a specialist and they both agreed that it was Formication due to a prescription I'd been on for many years to treat ADHD. Now, as we looked back at the timeline of when this started, we realized that they had just increased the mg a week before the symptoms began. I was immediately removed from the medication and switched to a new one, but the condition has not only remained, but the symptoms have increased.

So on a practically daily basis I live with the feeling of ants crawling on my face, in my eyelids and they have recently transferred to my scalp and neck. There is no cure or treatment outside of phycosis medication that I've opted out of taking. In the beginning I was able to joke about it, but now I have come to a place where I don't ever want to leave my house in fear that everyone is going to think I'm a freak for swatting at something that's not even there.

This has greatly affected my mental and emotional health. By His grace I'm not in worse shape than this. I desperately want to be the person that can find joy in my suffering (and most days I was able too) but the worse the symptoms get the harder it becomes. So I'm reluctantly sharing this because I don't want the enemy to get to my head, so I need all of your help by please praying for me, and for the ones closest to me feel helpless because they have to sit and watch me go through this.

I also want to make others aware of the many illnesses and medications that can cause Formication. There are several causes of tactile hallucination.  Some of these include:

Anemia
Lyme Disease
Parkinsons Disease.
Fibromyalgia.
Substance Abuse.
Perimenopause.
Drug and Alcohol Withdrawal.

Drugs reported to trigger this condition include:

Adderall
Ritalin
Crystal Meth
Cocaine
Heroin
Wellbutrin
Lunesta

So if we can humbly request you all to pray for us and to educate yourselves of the possible side effects of every medication you may have to take, even if the side effects are rare. Rare doesn't mean impossible.